All Things Come With Time
by Lawliet'sOneAndOnly
Summary: Sequel to 'Made From Broken Parts.' Leo and Lucy have settled down to raise their seven-year-old daughter, Ruby. But one day, Ruby finds a mysterious demigod in the woods. The Valdez's adopt him send him to Camp Half-Blood with Ruby. But Max was told by his mother in her final moments never to go there. If they knew he was descended from a titan, they would kill him.
1. Chapter 1: Maxwell

It Will Come With Time

**Complete summary: Thirteen years after 'Made From Broken Parts' takes place, Leo and Lucy live on the Ohio countryside with their seven-year-old daughter, Ruby. One fateful day, Ruby finds a boy in the woods, one with demigod blood. The Valdez's take the boy, Max, in and raise him alongside Ruby. The day comes when it's time to send the two of them to Camp Half-Blood, the one place Max has been told to avoid at all costs.**

**Sequel to Made From Broken Parts.**

**Understand that it's not necessary to read Made From Broken Parts to understand the story.**

**Rated T for language.**

Chapter 1-Maxwell

Max crashed through the underbrush and broke into a clearing, but those _things _weren't far behind. The huge, black dogs leaped into the clearing after him, and Max backed up slowly as the monstrous creatures prepared to pounce. It was no use. For two days, they had chased him across the highways. Last night, they had snapped his father's weapon. This morning, they had eaten what was left of his rations. He hadn't slept since they had first attacked his home.

He had fallen asleep in his mother's lap while watching a movie. Next thing he knew, he was awake in his mother's bedroom. The door was locked and blocked off with a dresser. On the other side, there were angry snarls and huge claws raking against the wood. Max sat straight up, petrified with fear. "Mommy?" he called out.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," his mother said from the closet. There was panic in her voice, but she was obviously trying to hide it.

"What's going on? I'm scared," he whimpered.

She didn't answer. Instead, she emerged from the closet with three packages; two were wrapped in brown paper and one was a small hiking backpack. She sat on the bed next to Max. For a moment, she sat with her head in her hands, and when she looked up at Max, she had tears in her eyes. "Your father said this would happen, but I didn't think it would be this soon. You're only 7." She touched his cheek. "You have to leave now, honey. You need to be closer to your father."

"But Mommy, you said Daddy was gone." He gripped his mother's arm. The clawing grew louder.

She gave a sad smile. "He's very weak, too weak to see us, but if you're close enough to him, he may be able to protect you. You're too powerful to live in the mortal world."

"But you'll come with me, right?" He wasn't going anywhere without his mother.

When Emma Wise spoke, her voice was choked up. "I'm sorry, Maxie, I can't go where you're going. The best I can do for you is hold off the hellhounds." There was the sound of splintering wood and a great black paw broke through the door; in was soon replaced by a snarling maw. "You don't have much time," she hurried on. She handed Max the smallest package, a curved, bronze dagger. "Your father wanted you to have this. Use it to protect yourself against your pursuers."

Max looked at the blade in alarm. "I'm not supposed to play with knives though."

His mother laughed. "This is an exception." She handed him the backpack. "Don't look through it until you've put a safe distance between you and the monsters. There's food and water and a little bit of nectar in a silver flask. Only drink it if you're injured, and even then only a little. Too much could make you very sick," she warned. The hellhounds were slowly inching the dresser out of the way. "You must go now. Hurry!" She urged Max towards the window, which she had opened into the night.

"B-b-but-"

Emma wrapped her son in a tight hug. Then she held him out at arms' length and studied him. "You look just like your father," she remarked. "Maxwell Wise, you are special. You host the blood of two great powers. You have abilities beyond your wildest imagination." A tear ran down her cheek.

"What kind of powers? Where am I supposed to go? What's going on?" Max demanded.

"It will all be clear in _time," _she said, putting emphasis on 'time.' She removed the oval, silver locket from her neck and placed it over the head of her young son. "Remember where you came from, Max. Find your father in the Underworld, and above all, stay away from Camp Half-Blood at all costs." She lifted Max up onto the window ledge and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Be good, my son, and good luck." At that moment, three huge black dogs, hellhounds, burst through the door, knocking the dresser aside. Emma grabbed the final package and unfurled a glistening bronze sword. The hellhounds growled and paced, trying to find a way to get to Max's mother without getting skewered.

"Mommy!" he screamed.

She threw a glance over her shoulder. "Go! I'll hold them off!" she yelled. Max hesitated, but swung his legs around to the outside.

"I can't leave you," he whimpered.

"It's the only way, now go!" She shoved him off the ledge and Max landed on the grassy lawn on his hands and knees. His knees stung, but he scrambled to his feet and gathered his gifts in his arms. He took off into the dark woods and as he glanced back, he saw the hellhounds pounce.

He had been running for nearly an hour when he stumbled across a brightly lit gas station along a county highway. He slumped down against the wall with his legs shaking and his chest heaving. He pulled the backpack off of his shoulder. '_Don't look through it until you've put a safe distance between you and the monsters,'_ his mother had said. Mother. She had to be okay. She was strong, Max knew that. Those hellhounds couldn't kill her, could they? A part of him knew they could, but he tried not to think about it and unzipped the bag. There were several cans of food, a large water bottle and a small silver flask, just as his mom had said. There were other things too: a map, a wad of money and a sandwich bag filled with gold coins. He pulled out the water bottle and took a swig. He was exhausted, confused and scared. Those things couldn't be far behind. He had to keep going. He had to find his father in the Underworld, wherever that was.

Max was about to look at the map when he heard a growl to his left. A hellhound stalked out of the darkness, flanked by the other two. He didn't know what else to do then run inside the gas station. A teenage boy sat with his feet on the counter playing on an iPod. Max rushed over to him. "You've got to help me, these monsters are after me!"

"Woah, little boy, there's no such thing as monsters. Go back to your mommy," he said without looking up from his game.

"You don't understand. They got my mom. I have to get to the Underworld!" Max bounced up and down on his toes. The hellhounds stood outside and fogged up the glass with their breath.

The clerk sighed and set aside his game. He leaned over and put his face so close to Max's, Max could smell Doritos on his breath. "Look, kid, I don't know what the hell yer smokin', but it ain't my business. I ain't no police department and I definitely ain't yer babysitter." The hellhounds must have figured out that they could get in by pushing on the doors, because one leaped in and hopped up on the counter. The clerk screamed and scrambled out the other door. Well, that hadn't gone as well as he had hoped.

The hellhound turned his attention to Max and growled at him. "Um, nice doggy," he offered. The dog pounced. Max dived out of the way into a display of beef jerky. He got an idea. He ripped open one of the beef jerky packages and tossed a piece into the beast's mouth as it snapped. It chewed at it for a moment but went back to sizing up Max once he had swallowed it. Max threw a handful of pieces at its face and scrambled out the same exit as the clerk.

Max managed to crawl into the bed of a pickup truck that had been filling up at the gas station just as it was driving away. The truck drove on all night, and Max stayed huddled in the corner. But he couldn't sleep. He kept watching behind him and along the sides of the road for the three vicious mastiffs. The driver pulled over at a rest stop in the morning and saw Max crouching in the back.

"What the hell ya doing back there? Damn freeloader!" he hollered. It didn't take Max long to get out of there.

He had managed to study the map last night. Hollywood, California had been circled in red. 'Entrance to the Underworld'was scrawled next to it. By the signs he had seen, he was in Ohio now. He needed to be going west, so he hopped snuck into the trailer of a family headed to Indiana.

That ride lasted even less time.

The family's SUV blew a tire an hour down the road and Max had to hop out and dash into the woods before they lifted the tarp and discovered him there. Now he was stuck following the road from the woods and trying to stay out of view of the cars. Every now and then, he would hear a twig snap or leaves rustling, but when he turned to look, no one was there.

By sundown, Max was low on water and down a can of tomato soup. He tried to sleep outside the restrooms at a rest stop, but the hellhounds had caught up with him. They easily broke through the glass doors and Max was forced to draw his dagger. He succeeded in slashing one in the face and it fell on the ground, yowling in pain, but it just made the other two angrier. He slashed at another one, but it just ripped the knife out of his grip and snapped it in half in its maw.

Fortunately, he made it out by backing out the door then sitting on the bumper of a tour bus. However, he couldn't hold on long before the vibration of the moving bus knocked him off and sent him sprawling out on the highway. He narrowly avoided the oncoming traffic and crawled into the ditch. He was so exhausted, he expected to pass out as soon as he lay down in the grass, but all he managed was shivering in a fetal position. He lay there all night and admired the wildflowers that bloomed at his touch.

At sunrise, Max sipped another can of tomato soup and chewed on a strip of beef jerky he had saved. After his odd breakfast, he continued to hike along the highway. Around noon, something grabbed his backpack. He spun around and saw the hellhound he had slashed in the face gripping into the front pouch. Max managed to reach in and grab the bag of coins before the creature ripped the pack away from him. The dog stayed and tore the bag into shreds, allowing Max to sprint into the woods.

Five hours of hiking later, the dogs were after him again. That was when he came to the clearing.

He knew it was over. There was nothing left he could do. He faced his attackers and prepared to die, but something his mother had said flashed through his head: _You have abilities beyond your wildest imagination. It will be clear in time. _Time, Max needed more of that. He closed his eyes and focused. The hellhounds sprang, but they never landed. In a flash of light, they disintegrated, and Max was left suspended in a bubble of energy. He felt slow and tired. He could sleep now. No one would find him out in these woods. He could nap forever if he wished. As he closed his eyes and passed out, a metallic voice spoke in his head: _Yes, sleep, my son. When you wake, the world will have changed and you shall avenge me._


	2. Chapter 2: Ruby

Chapter 2

8 years later

Ruby

Ruby woke up to birdsong outside her window. It was a bright, warm Sunday and her parents' mechanic shop was closed for the day. It would be a good day, she decided. She climbed out of bed and put on what she did every other morning: a t-shirt, jeans and hiking boots. As always, her hair remained un-brushed. She grabbed her satchel and slid down the stairs on her butt to stock it with fresh food and water.

Her mother was doing dishes at the sink when Ruby pranced in. "Good morning, Mummy," she said as she pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator shelf and stuffed them in her bag along with a package of saltine crackers.

"Good morning, Ruby. Are you heading out to the meadow this morning?"

"Yup, I'm gathering wildflowers today!"

"Alright, be careful and stay where Daddy can see you."

"I know. I'll be going now. G'bye!" she rushed out the sliding glass door and sprinted down the lawn. She got the 'be careful and stay in view' talk every morning, and didn't want in to turn into a lecture. Her parents were always worried about monsters attacking her, even though she wasn't a full demigod. Regardless, they believed it was important for her to be able to explore the fields and meadows behind their farmhouse. However, there were two rules she had to follow: stay where either her mother or father could see her and _never _go in the woods.

Her father, Leo, was in the big barn out back he had converted into a personal workshop working on a magical chariot. He and her mother owned a mechanic shop in town that catered to mortals as well as demigods. Recently, Camp Half Blood had ordered a full fleet of flying chariots and found no one better suited for the job than the Valdez's. Not only did Ruby's mom and dad have a way with machines, Ruby herself did as well. That had been inherited that from her dad, they assumed since she had the abilities of Apollo that her mother would have had if she had been a regular half-blood.

Ruby was careful not to alert her dad that she was out there because she had a plan. Today, she had mustered up enough courage to try to sneak into the woods. Since spring began, Ruby had admired the beautiful flowers growing just within the tree line. Beyond that, a creek flowed and raspberries grew on the banks. Every time she walked close enough to see, her sense of adventure stirred within her.

She walked down the trampled path she had made in the wild grass, every now and then looking behind her to be sure neither her mother nor father were watching. Ruby reached into her satchel as she went and pulled out a chain link bracelet. When she pulled on the special link, the bracelet morphed into an army green compound bow and matching quiver. _Just a precaution, _she thought. She refused to believe that she could possibly be scared. After all, she was Ruby Valdez, fearless explorer.

The dark trees of the forest loomed ahead. It did seem slightly intimidating today, Ruby wasn't sure why. She felt a wave of dark energy radiating from somewhere when she stepped in, but it was just her imagination, right? After several minutes of fighting her way through the underbrush and weeds, she finally reached the creek. Crystal clear water ran over smooth, brown stones and wound its way through the trees. The creek curved gently for a few hundred feet before making a sudden turn right. Ruby felt a force egging her to move forward. She plucked a handful of plump red raspberries off of a bush and marched onward, heading toward the bend.

It turned out that the creek continued on ordinarily after the turn, but Ruby couldn't shake the disturbance that she felt in the air. It wasn't quiet evil, but it wasn't good either- a neutral party maybe? What Ruby did see was a faint pulsation of light to the left down a hill thickly littered with trees, and once her curiosity was perked, there was no going back. She clambered down the muddy slope and found herself in a clearing overgrown with vegetation. Wildflowers bloomed bright and healthy in every color imaginable. Various vegetables were sprinkled in with the mix as well, but the real wonder was in the center of the clearing. That's where the source of the light was.

A huge sphere of glowing light rested there, nestled into the greenery like a giant bird's egg in a nest. It pulsated light as well as energy with a rhythm that reminded Ruby of a heartbeat. With every beat, the plants surrounding it seemed to perk up. The whole scene was beautiful, but slightly unnerving. Ruby wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't let her, so she notched an arrow instead. A metallic voice beckoned her forward. "_Yes, you are the one suited to free my son. I foresee great power in you, puny demigod. You could prove useful in raising my son, assuming you can be swayed in the right direction, of course. Now go forth, your touch will awake him,"_ it said. The voice faded out with laughter that sounded like sharpening knives.

Ruby couldn't help but obey. It was like the charmspeak her Aunty Piper could use: she was compelled to obey. She felt bad about stepping on all the beautiful plants, but eventually she crunched her way to the sphere with a minimal amount of damage caused. She raised her hand and hesitated. A small figure levitated at the core. She couldn't tell if it was human or not, but if it was Ruby had to free them. The words of the disembodied voice swirled in her head. Her tangled hair was blown out of her face by the energy from each beat. She took a deep breath and pressed her palm to the surface.

Immediately, the bubble burst. There was a loud gasp from the figure before it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. The vegetation cushioned most of their fall, but Ruby rushed to their side regardless. It was a boy, probably the same age as Ruby. He was in tattered shorts and a t-shirt and wore only socks, all caked with burrs and nettles. Scraps and bruises covered his deathly pale body. Ruby checked his pulse. It was faint, but still detectable. He needed medical attention immediately. She couldn't leave him, so she decided to take him with her.

By draping the boy's arm around her shoulder, Ruby managed to drag him across the clearing. Scaling the hill was difficult, but manageable by grasping onto the tree trunks. She couldn't help but notice how all the plants wilted when they left the clearing.

Dragging the boy across the sand was the easiest, and Ruby reached the fields just as her father walked out of his workshop. He was nonchalantly wiping his hands on a rag until he caught sight of Ruby struggling with the weight of the boy. He dropped the rag and sprinted out to meet her. He gathered the boy in his arms and sent Ruby ahead to tell her mom to get the first-aid kit ready. "This kid's a demigod," he said, his face paling.

Within minutes they had the boy stretched out on the couch. Lucy helped tend to his wounds since healing was one of her Apollo-inherited abilities. Her mother sent an Iris message to Chiron while her father opened his laptop on his recliner and mumbled to himself: "Carrying a bag of drachma…monster stench all over… doesn't_ feel _normal."

After a while, the boy's pulse became stronger and Ruby could see the rising and falling of his chest. He would probably be sleeping; that sphere must have taken a lot of energy to create. She dribbled a bit of nectar into his mouth and refused to leave his side for the rest of the day.

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**Well, there you have it! Thank you for reading chapter 2! I'd love to hear what you think and your ideas about Max's origins(: I'd like to point out to those of you that read 'Made From Broken Parts' that this takes place 13 years after Leo and Lucy's meeting. Leo and Lucy got married at 20 an Ruby was born a year later. Ruby is now 7, the same age as Maxwell. I hope that's not to confusing, but if you have questions, just ask! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3: Maxwell

Maxwell

Max rose into consciousness, but he didn't open his eyes. He savored the moment for just a little longer. He could feel the couch cushions beneath him, molding to his little form. The clock was ticking on the wall across the room. Then there was the gentle breathing- that must have been his mother- coming from the other end of the couch. What had they been doing that had caused him to fall asleep there? They had been watching an old Disney movie on TV, that was it. He could still taste his mom's homegrown popcorn in his mouth. The popcorn had made him thirsty, so he decided to get up to get a glass of water. He yawned and opened his eyes.

This wasn't his house. Hell, he didn't even recognize the place. It couldn't have been a relative's, his mom had broken off all contact with her family when she and Dad started dating. His dad's family didn't even know he existed. So where was he? Just then, the memories of his escape hit him like a train: his mother's words, the knife, the hellhounds and the moment in the clearing. He was supposed to be getting to the Underworld, not lounging around in some stranger's living room. He had to get out of here. Getting to the Underworld meant seeing his father, and seeing his father meant getting answers.

He stood up silently, carefully peeling of his sheets as he went. He didn't want to disturb the girl at the other end of the couch, the one with the messy dark hair and freckles. She must have taken him captive. She couldn't be trusted. Max had learned that the hard way dealing with the assholes on his journey here. His upbringing probably had something to do with it too. He had spent virtually his whole life at his home. He didn't have any friends and never visited with family. The only times he saw the outside world were on the rare occasions his mom needed to go get supplies she couldn't make or grow for herself from home. Max didn't mind though, his mother told him about the dangers of the world, how he was so special that the so called 'good guys' would kill him if they knew he existed. She never elaborated, but that was how Max was taught not to talk to strangers, and most certainly to not trust them.

This home was filled with all sorts of things he could use on the remainder of his journey. Max decided to put his sticky fingers to use. His first stop was the kitchen, which was just off of the living room. He raided the pantry of the lighter non-perishables and stuffed them into a canvas grocery bag along with three bottled waters. Then, it occurred to him that he no longer had his map. He thought he could remember the name of the entrance, so it wouldn't hurt to print off directions.

Conveniently, a bronze-colored laptop sat on a recliner in the corner of the living room and a wireless printer rested on the floor next to it. Max opened it up and his fingers instinctively flew across the keys. In minutes, he had hacked into the administrator account and was browsing Google Maps for the location. It wasn't as hard to find as he had expected. 'DOA Recording Studios' popped up as the first result. He was just about to hit print when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Max slammed the laptop shut and spun around.

"Would you mind telling me what you're doing with my laptop and a bag of our food?"

The man sat Max down on the couch and studied him. He scanned him like a machine with his dark, fiery eyes before he collapsed in his recliner and let out a sigh. "I don't blame you for wanting to run away, I did it myself at least half a dozen times, but I'm afraid I can't let you leave, for your own safety of course."

Great. The last thing Max needed was to be held captive by some guy that looked like an elf. He left his face neutral. He wasn't going to let anybody read him. He had a mission, and damn it, he was going to succeed. He glared at the man.

The man seemed a bit flustered by Max's hard stare and looked away. "I'm sorry, but you don't understand. Monsters will be after you as soon they catch your scent. I don't know how you've survived this long on your own, but you shouldn't risk it any more. You're a demigod, you belong at Camp Half-Blood."

Monsters? Camp Half-Blood? Max recognized those terms- his mother had used them. Could this guy know something about him? Max needed answers, so he decided to play along. "What do you mean?" he ventured.

"Huh, guess you don't know, do you? Should've guessed that- most demigods don't. There's really no easy way to say it, so I'll put it bluntly: I don't know if you know anything about Greek and Roman gods, but they're real, and judging from that bag of drachmas you have in your pocket, you're descended from them." He gestured at Max's pocket and sure enough, the bag of golden coins was still there. Max just hadn't realized they were Greek currency.

The whole Greek/Roman god thing didn't surprise Max as much as it should have. After his last few days, he didn't think anything could. At least he finally understood why his mom had told him gruesome stories from Greek mythology as bedtime stories. Several ideas began forming in his mind. He remembered making the flowers bloom along the highway and considered his knack for all things mischievous.

"What gods?" he asked, his face still unyielding.

"That's the thing. We won't know for sure until they claim you, but until then, we can try to make a good guess." The man flipped his laptop open again and grimaced. "Man, I don't know why you're looking up the entrance to the Underworld, but I wouldn't go there. Even if you turned out to be related to Hades, it's still a trippy place." He looked lost in thought, but shook himself out of it and began typing away.

So the Underworld wasn't safe, even for one of Hades' kids. Then why was Max supposed to go there? Hades wasn't his dad- or grandpa- Max knew that. What else was down there? Something started to fit together, but he didn't want to acknowledge it- it was absurd. Instead, he stayed silent.

"Ya know, I haven't got your name," the man said suddenly.

Max hesitated. Should he give this man his real name? It should be safe to give him his nickname- there were hundreds of people called 'Max.' His mother's surname would probably be a good substitute for his real last name. "Max Wise," he went with. "I haven't gotten your name either."

"That's true." The man scratched his head. "I'm Leo Valdez." He pointed at the girl sleeping on the couch. "That's my daughter, Ruby, and my wife's name is Lucy, but she's still asleep." He smiled a bit when he said their names. "So how much do you know about Greek mythology?"

"A lot," Max said bluntly.

Leo chuckled. "Okay then. Just tell me if you get lost. I'm gonna give you a run down on who's who. I'm a son of Hephaestus. My wife is a daughter of Apollo. She ended up with the abilities of Hephaestus, but it's a long story. Anyway, Ruby inherited abilities from both of us, so she's good with mechanical stuff, but she's also good with archery, medicine and the arts. You with me so far?"

Max nodded.

"Alright then. Here. I pulled up a list of all the gods and goddesses and what they're in charge of." Leo spun the laptop around for Max to study. Only two things stuck out : Hermes, god of messengers, travelers and thieves; and Demeter, goddess of agriculture and harvest.

"Hermes and Demeter," he said. "They're it." He had a feeling in his gut that he was correct.

Leo yawned. "At least we've got a lead. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can stay up much longer. We'll dig deeper in the morning. You're welcome to sleep in the guest bedroom if you'd like."

Max _was_ tired. Apparently his nap in the woods hadn't been enough to get him well-rested. "Yeah, sure."

Leo showed him to the first room down the hall and flicked on the lights. The room was plain, with only a bed and an end table, but it looked so comfortable, Max found himself unconsciously walking towards it. He crawled under the covers and fell asleep without another word. He dreamed about his father.

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**Hey guys! For some reason, this chapter was a bit tricky to write, but I'd really like to know what you think! Maybe I'll update faster(; As always, I'm open to any suggestions you have!**


	4. Chapter 4: Maxwell

Chapter 4

Maxwell

Max was looking down into what looked like a dark bottomless pit. As if the degree of darkness that swirled in the expanse wasn't creepy enough, the whole thing inhaled and exhaled like a giant sleeping animal. With each ragged breath, the ground shook and a burst of air spewed forth like water from a gauzier. Just standing here made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his knees wobble.

He was in the Underworld. His father was in the pit.

A breath of air snaked out and wrapped around Max's waist, slowly whisking him deeper and deeper into the pit. When his feet finally touched down, he stood in a vast chamber. Dozens of openings dimpled the walls like the inside of a bee hive. Ghostly golden light spilled out of the nearest cave and Max followed it. About 50 feet in, the cave dead ended. It was completely empty except for a dark box in the corner. The golden light had faded.

Max broke the silence. "I'm here, Father."

There was metallic cackling. "Yes, I see that. And it's come time you learn your lineage." The voice was weak. Still, it would have sent shivers down the spine of any ordinary person, but not Max. Max wasn't ordinary.

"I'm a demigod," Max said confidently. "A mix of Demeter and Hermes."

More cackling. "You're proving to be more intelligent than I anticipated. It seems you'd be worth the strength to appear to you." The golden light illuminated the box in the corner. It was a locked chest, and through the keyhole, a ghost squeezed through. When it had gathered itself, a man who appeared to be in his 20s stood before Max. The golden man grinned, causing the image to flicker. "This was the form of the boy who hosted me last, and the form I was in when you were conceived. Consequently, you inherited some of the powers of the boy's pesky father, Hermes, and it appears some of his looks as well." The ghost looked Max up and down. "You look like your mother as well. Yes, Emma was a strong spirit. She was devoted to me to the upmost extreme. Unfortunately, I believe she may have developed feelings for the boy. His death shattered her spirit, making her an unworthy candidate to host me in my next rising." The ghost looked disgusted at the thought that Max's mother had loved him, but Max couldn't help but respect his father. He was more powerful than the gods.

"You're Kronos, aren't you?" Max asked. "You're my father."

"That's right, son." Kronos took a few flickering steps forward and placed his hand on Max's shoulder. "And I have a job for you."

"Anything."

Kronos grinned again. "I will rise again. And this time, I want you to be my host. You have strong spirit, and you already possess my powers. You would not betray me like that worthless Luke Castellan. When we unite, I shall rise, and I will grant you immortality and powers worthy of the titan king's son!"

Max looked his father dead in the eye. "I'll do it."

Kronos laughed, this time more powerfully than the last. "Then it's settled. We must wait until you're older. When you reach 13, we shall begin the process. Until then, you must bide your time. Stay with the Valdez's. Let them raise you and give you the basic training of an ordinary half-blood. When the time comes, they will send you to Camp Half-Blood. Blend in as a child of Demeter, your maternal grandmother. If you follow these instructions and do not reveal any truth from your past, I will continue to come to you in your dreams and give you advanced training. However, I am still weak. I will need sustenance. Any one of nectar, ambrosia or a blood sacrifice will give me enough strength for one appearance. Even now, my strength is dwindling." He was right: the form of Luke Castellan was slowly fading. When he was nothing more than a faint glow, he pressed a finger to the center of Max's chest. Max felt cold metal press against his skin. "Time is the key," he whispered.

Cold air wrapped around Max's ankles and he was dragged back to the top of the pit horror movie style. When he reached the top, he jolted awake in a cold sweat. He reached down his shirt to the place the cold metal had touched him. It was the locket his mother had given his the night she died. Max now realized that had been years ago. Kronos was his father and he had some of his powers. He had encased himself in a sort of time capsule to protect himself. But Luke Castellan was his father also. Kronos and Luke were one in the same at the time Max was born. Max understood. Everything made sense. Especially the inscription on the locket: his name. He finally understood why he was named Maxwell Luke Castellan.

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**Hey! It's been so long since I've updated, I'm sorry! I'm gonna go ahead and blame it on the fact that I've recently became obsessed with a life-ruining, yet extremely addicting web comic called Homestuck O_o But yeah, hopefully I can update sooner next time, but if I haven't updated in two weeks or more, you're welcome to message me and ask for permission to take over the story, seeing as I don't always have steady access to internet. I really don't want it to come to that since I like the idea for this story so much, but if I figure that if I can't continue, I might as well pass the idea onto someone else!**

**Please review, I'd love to know what you think! (And it may encourage me to update!)**

**Lawliet'sOneAndOnly**

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Update: thanks to everyone's reviews, I decided to continue with the story! I don't know how often I can post with school coming up, but I'll do my best(: thank you to all of you!


	5. Chapter 5: Maxwell

Chapter 5

Maxwell

Max's eyes darted back and forth. _I have to gather info. It's essential I learn as much as I can. I only have six years to prepare. That's six short years to train to be in the best possible condition- physically and mentally. I have to start now. I have to keep my guard up. If they find out who I am and what I'm planning-_

"Are you all right, Max?"

Max was whipped away from his train of thought. He was sitting at the table in the Valdez's dining room. Lucy Valdez was standing over him holding a pan of scrambled eggs. "Err, yeah. Fine. I just zoned out for a minute." Which was true, but there was no way he would spill what exactly he was thinking about.

Lucy nodded. "Try to eat something, but done push it too much. Eating large amounts of food after nearly starving isn't good for anyone." She spooned a small pile of fluffy, yellow eggs onto his plate and finally sat down to enjoy her own meal.

At first glance, the Valdez's would appeal to all the world to be your average country family. Lucy sat quietly savoring her food and Ruby was playing with her ketchup covered eggs with her father next to her trying to keep her from splattering the carpet with the stuff. Speaking of Leo and Ruby, it was baffling how much they looked like each other. Ruby was the spitting image of the man. They had the same messy mop of black hair, pointed features and large coffee-brown eyes. The only difference was Ruby's skin tone. Instead of her father's dark Latino complexion, she carried the light ivory shade of her mother's. The whole package gave her the looks of some curious woodland creature. You wouldn't have expected anything out of sorts about them unless you knew the truth about the world.

Max picked halfheartedly at the contents of his plate. He knew he should eat to gather strength, but he just wasn't that hungry. That wouldn't do; he needed to be healthy enough to offer up blood sacrifices to his father. He had said he could use nectar or ambrosia as well, but he had no idea where he could come across that. They had been mentioned in the stories Max's mother had told him: they were the food of the gods. But how was he going to acquire it? There were only so many blood sacrifices he could make. He would have to wait until he knew more about his world. Maybe there was some secret supermarket for demigods that carried it. Until then, he forced himself to finish his sausage and eggs and gulped down the red Kool-Aid in his cup.

Leo noticed he had finished and said to him through a mouthful of food, "If you want you can take a shower. The bathroom's just down the hall. Ruby, why don't you show him?"

The girl nodded and stood up. She grabbed Max by the wrist and dragged him behind her all the way to the bathroom. She flicked on the lights and stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She was silent as she looked Max up and down. What was this girl's problem? He wasn't going to take this from some tomboy.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Tomboy, but I'd like to shower out of view of your beady eyes." It came out a little ruder than he had intended, but Max needed to think. At least it got her to move, after she nailed him in the gut of course. Max fell to the ground clutching his stomach. "What the-"

Ruby knelt down and grabbed the neck of his shirt. She gave him a sweet little smile. "Towels are in the cupboard under the sink." And with that, she walked back into the dining room, probably to go spit on puppies or something. Max crawled into the bathroom and pulled himself up with the counter.

_Damn, _that girl could hit! Max couldn't tell if the whiteness in his face was due to Ruby's hitting abilities or a lack of nutrients for so long. Of course time had been slowed, so Max estimated he had aged only a week. That was about the maximum span for going without food, but water was much less. Maybe his body had absorbed raindrops or maybe his father or grandmother had kept him maintained. It hadn't done much for his appearance though. Aside from its pale color, his skin was pulled tight over his features. Upon removing his shirt to shower, he observed he could count his ribs on each side. His legs were thin and spindly and there were heavy bags under his eyes. He looked like he could have been a walking corpse. Maybe there was some Hades in his lineage. He seriously doubted that, but he wished that was the cause of his dreadful appearance instead of his time in the little time bubble.

After a shower, Max felt refreshed, aside from the fact that his stomach was killing him. _Thanks, Ruby! Way to kick the weak guy! _If Max had been in better condition, he swore he would have pounded her to a pulp. He realized though that this girl had been training as a demigod all her life. He was years behind her. _But she isn't descended from the lord of the titans, _said a voice in Max's head. That was true; Max had the advantage of inherited power. Though Ruby had the powers of both Hephaestus and Apollo, they were slightly diluted. Max had the upper hand with intense power from Kronos and the diluted powers of Hermes and Demeter. A little bit of physical training would step him right up to Ruby's level.

Max wrapped a towel around himself and opened the door. He didn't have any other clothes, and he doubted there would be any boy's clothes in his size in this house, so he went to ask Lucy if she could wash his old ones. She gladly agreed and told Max he was welcome to play with anything in the guest room closet while he was waiting. Max picked out a 100 piece puzzle of some horses and spread the pieces out on the floor. This was pointless. What was the point in putting this together? He wouldn't achieve anything by successfully putting this puzzle together, so he just sat and started at the pieces. What would have been useful was if he could lay out everything that had happed to him and piece the big picture together. Things were starting to make sense, but there seemed to be big holes in the plot of his life. His dad would be able to tell him more, but it wasn't nearly time for bed. Maybe he could just sneak in a little nap? It couldn't hurt, so he shut off the light and curled up under the covers.

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**Whew, I finally got around to updating!(: I'm not sure when the next one will be with school starting up soon, but I'm determined to finish it! Please let me know what you think, it motivates me to write faster!**


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